Don't you tempt me with your siren songs. I can stop any time I want.
But in seriousness, unless someone else points out something glaring or broken, I'm not sure what else I can refine? Still happy to hear problems though!
Thanks! I had been reading some stuff about "dungeon continuity" and feel and realized that I didn't have that with my dungeon generator. Each history put all the weight on the player to sort out the specifics, so I worked up these
Hey, i love your work, one thing for me, reading through it for the first time, Sometimes you write "Cost" sometimes you write "Silver" and in the table still use gp and cp, I would just put "Cost" everywhere and put cp,sp,gp behind ecery cost instead of putting just numbers and assuming a baseline of sp.
Other than that, i really really like your game and am kinda jealous of some things you came up with ;P
Edit after reading through everything: It says that int controlls casting spells, but at no point during spell crafting or use do you need int, you craft using dex and that's it. I guess learning new spells with a mind save kinda counts for it but i found it very confusing (because learning a spells doesn't mean casting it) . The spell section also doesnt actually tell you that you know no spells if you do not take the witchcraft ability.
I think the fact that you call using a crafted magic item "casting" is confusing because I was expecting there to be a small amount of actual spells somewhere (as in, that didn't need to be crafted beforehand)
Also, scrolls, how long do the curses last, cuz some don't have a duration (jewelry curses for example) and also, do you need to roll anything to use a scroll? The item sections says you can transcribe them, does that mean you can have them all in a spellbook and sell the scroll afterwards?
That is a good point on magic. There used to be a Casting roll, but I didn't like it much so I tossed it. Reading through it again though, I think it should swap crafting to +INT. I may make it +DEX or +INT, whichever is higher. Thanks for pointing that out.
Sorry, but all magic is crafted. Low fantasy setting. However, it does often require runes, ritual phrases, or actions. They don't just happen.
Curses last kind of whatever you feel is appropriate. I had just been rolling on the potions table for duration.
I had considered the transcribing so you could use it to learn the spell later, but it's up to you.
I think it would make sense to make crafting an "INT/DEX whatever is higher"- roll, it's a good middle ground i think.
I assumed one would use the potion timer but maybe rolling on the jewelry curse table just means you got dealt a super bad scroll that curses you for as long as you have it just like wearing cursed items hehe.
For magical rechargable items, did you mean to leave the price one would pay a witch vague so players could come up with whatever fits the situation or is there a fixed price for that service ?
Also, for magical ennemies, the action description is confusing to me, on page 26 it says "non-mages activate their special Lvl-times max" and on page 65 it says "... Magic users attack instead" I understand now that this is a way of saying that mages use Magic as their main way of attacking but i think it could be made clearer.
You could have the tables above have two separate cells with [Non-magic user]_[Magic user] or something like that instead of having both in the same cell and having to explain the difference twice.
Again, sorry for being annoying, i just couldn't sleep and your game is way too cool haha
I left the price ambiguous. Whatever feels right for your game, and your character's relationship with the witch.
Two columns may be the right choice. I had stuck with one because it felt easier to read, but maybe I am just biased. I can look and see how two columns feel. Mostly I wanted to specify that a Mage's "special" roll of 6 had no cap. They can stab as much as they want.
Not being annoying at all! Thank you for the deep dive into the editing of the book. As the writer, editor, and playtester, I am glad someone else is picking up my slack!
I was looking into printing this, but I'm wondering if you would be willing to at least double the space between the edge of the cover and the text on the cover. It all seems really close to the danger zone when the book is trimmed.
I think you need to find a method to expand the margins. The cover was placed on a sheet the same size as the rest of the book; it is not a unique size separate from the rest.
Love how this is turning out! I especially like the recent tables that were added. Speaking of which, I know room might be an issue but if possible would love to see desert added to the travel feature table.
Room really is the big issue. I really want a desert/scrubland/savannah type column but I'm struggling with getting it in there without breaking the whole page. Working on figuring out how though! Fingers crossed!
I very much appreciate you giving this away for free. However, consider making this pay what you want. That means people can still access it for free and also anyone buying it for just $1 or more can have it in their Itch library (someone like me!). This is a great solo rpg. Well done!
While I appreciate the sentiment and logic, right now I have no intentions of setting it to PWYW. Maybe when I finally get some more artwork in there I will.
For Saves (page 6), I assume you mean 16 or higher on a d20 and not on 2d6+bonus, right? Maybe have a unified mechanic for both (saves and skills) rolls, like 10 or higher to save.
Answering my own question: on page 13, it says to use a d20 for combat and saves. Not sure if it's a great idea to mix PbtA and d20 mechanics in the same game. I recommend sticking to one or the other. Check World of Dungeons by John Harper to see what I mean.
Good catch! Saves and combat are both d20's, which I mention on Page 13. I should definitely edit that to be more clear. I wanted them both to have that OSR swing to them while skills were on the bell-curve.
INCOMING DAMAGE When the player character is hit, modify the damage dealt per die by dividing it in half and rounding down, then summing it together to get the total damage.
Can you explain why damage works differently for player characters vs NPCs or monsters? If I deal 1d8 damage with a sword to an orc, shouldn't an orc with a sword deal 1d8 damage to me?
This is simply to make combat more survivable. If the enemy dealt damage at the same rate you did, you wouldn't survive your first encounter most likely
I agree with that rule. In solo with OSE, I often didn't roll the damage and went with the average. It speeds up play a little but your method add surprises (low score)!
Hey would you be interested in me making some (free) cover art for this? I love your Just One Torch solo booklet and wanna contribute if I can. If you're interested DM me on twitter or discord :)
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Are you sure this is last update? If not that's just fine by me.
Don't you tempt me with your siren songs. I can stop any time I want.
But in seriousness, unless someone else points out something glaring or broken, I'm not sure what else I can refine? Still happy to hear problems though!
btw, continue updating your design! I like that a design evolve and improve!
The new tables in the last update are awesome!
Thanks! I had been reading some stuff about "dungeon continuity" and feel and realized that I didn't have that with my dungeon generator. Each history put all the weight on the player to sort out the specifics, so I worked up these
Hey, i love your work, one thing for me, reading through it for the first time, Sometimes you write "Cost" sometimes you write "Silver" and in the table still use gp and cp, I would just put "Cost" everywhere and put cp,sp,gp behind ecery cost instead of putting just numbers and assuming a baseline of sp.
Other than that, i really really like your game and am kinda jealous of some things you came up with ;P
Edit after reading through everything: It says that int controlls casting spells, but at no point during spell crafting or use do you need int, you craft using dex and that's it. I guess learning new spells with a mind save kinda counts for it but i found it very confusing (because learning a spells doesn't mean casting it) . The spell section also doesnt actually tell you that you know no spells if you do not take the witchcraft ability.
I think the fact that you call using a crafted magic item "casting" is confusing because I was expecting there to be a small amount of actual spells somewhere (as in, that didn't need to be crafted beforehand)
Also, scrolls, how long do the curses last, cuz some don't have a duration (jewelry curses for example) and also, do you need to roll anything to use a scroll? The item sections says you can transcribe them, does that mean you can have them all in a spellbook and sell the scroll afterwards?
Sorry for being so annoying btw x)
That is a good point on magic. There used to be a Casting roll, but I didn't like it much so I tossed it. Reading through it again though, I think it should swap crafting to +INT. I may make it +DEX or +INT, whichever is higher. Thanks for pointing that out.
Sorry, but all magic is crafted. Low fantasy setting. However, it does often require runes, ritual phrases, or actions. They don't just happen.
Curses last kind of whatever you feel is appropriate. I had just been rolling on the potions table for duration.
I had considered the transcribing so you could use it to learn the spell later, but it's up to you.
Thanks for pointing all this out!
Wow thanks for the fast answer,
I think it would make sense to make crafting an "INT/DEX whatever is higher"- roll, it's a good middle ground i think.
I assumed one would use the potion timer but maybe rolling on the jewelry curse table just means you got dealt a super bad scroll that curses you for as long as you have it just like wearing cursed items hehe.
For magical rechargable items, did you mean to leave the price one would pay a witch vague so players could come up with whatever fits the situation or is there a fixed price for that service ?
Also, for magical ennemies, the action description is confusing to me, on page 26 it says "non-mages activate their special Lvl-times max" and on page 65 it says "... Magic users attack instead" I understand now that this is a way of saying that mages use Magic as their main way of attacking but i think it could be made clearer.
You could have the tables above have two separate cells with [Non-magic user]_[Magic user] or something like that instead of having both in the same cell and having to explain the difference twice.
Again, sorry for being annoying, i just couldn't sleep and your game is way too cool haha
I left the price ambiguous. Whatever feels right for your game, and your character's relationship with the witch.
Two columns may be the right choice. I had stuck with one because it felt easier to read, but maybe I am just biased. I can look and see how two columns feel. Mostly I wanted to specify that a Mage's "special" roll of 6 had no cap. They can stab as much as they want.
Not being annoying at all! Thank you for the deep dive into the editing of the book. As the writer, editor, and playtester, I am glad someone else is picking up my slack!
I was looking into printing this, but I'm wondering if you would be willing to at least double the space between the edge of the cover and the text on the cover. It all seems really close to the danger zone when the book is trimmed.
I think you need to find a method to expand the margins. The cover was placed on a sheet the same size as the rest of the book; it is not a unique size separate from the rest.
Oh. OK. Thanks :)
Hey! On p.26 It mentions
"On a Critical Attack you deal
maximum damage, and add your
weapon effect"
But never mentions what you need to roll to achieve a critical attack. I'm assuming a 20 since I've played other OSR/D&D games
You are correct. You need to roll a 20 on your d20. I should fix that
Love how this is turning out! I especially like the recent tables that were added. Speaking of which, I know room might be an issue but if possible would love to see desert added to the travel feature table.
Room really is the big issue. I really want a desert/scrubland/savannah type column but I'm struggling with getting it in there without breaking the whole page. Working on figuring out how though! Fingers crossed!
It’s worth paying for as is. You work is great, keep it up!
I very much appreciate you giving this away for free. However, consider making this pay what you want. That means people can still access it for free and also anyone buying it for just $1 or more can have it in their Itch library (someone like me!). This is a great solo rpg. Well done!
While I appreciate the sentiment and logic, right now I have no intentions of setting it to PWYW. Maybe when I finally get some more artwork in there I will.
Okay 🙂. I’ve printed off a copy and I’m eager to try it out! Thanks again.
Any chance of an epub version?
This looks very interesting
For Saves (page 6), I assume you mean 16 or higher on a d20 and not on 2d6+bonus, right? Maybe have a unified mechanic for both (saves and skills) rolls, like 10 or higher to save.
Answering my own question: on page 13, it says to use a d20 for combat and saves. Not sure if it's a great idea to mix PbtA and d20 mechanics in the same game. I recommend sticking to one or the other. Check World of Dungeons by John Harper to see what I mean.
Good catch! Saves and combat are both d20's, which I mention on Page 13. I should definitely edit that to be more clear. I wanted them both to have that OSR swing to them while skills were on the bell-curve.
Page 26:
INCOMING DAMAGE
Can you explain why damage works differently for player characters vs NPCs or monsters? If I deal 1d8 damage with a sword to an orc, shouldn't an orc with a sword deal 1d8 damage to me?When the player character is hit, modify the damage dealt per die by dividing it in half and rounding down, then summing it together to get the total damage.
This is simply to make combat more survivable. If the enemy dealt damage at the same rate you did, you wouldn't survive your first encounter most likely
I agree with that rule. In solo with OSE, I often didn't roll the damage and went with the average. It speeds up play a little but your method add surprises (low score)!
Hey would you be interested in me making some (free) cover art for this? I love your Just One Torch solo booklet and wanna contribute if I can. If you're interested DM me on twitter or discord :)
Absolutely! I will message you on Discord